Chapter 31
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 31
Chapter Title: The Sewers are in Total Chaos
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Pastel ran through the sewers.
Patter patter.
The oil lantern rattled, and the light source swayed.
A horde of giant rats chased after her like a tidal wave.
The clamor filled the sewers.
Eek!
"What happens if they catch me?!"
『You'll swing your sword a few times before getting overwhelmed by their sheer mass and toppling over. Then they'll eat you alive.』
"Eek!"
Terror! Shock!
"Squeaky friends! Don't do this! We're friends, right?!"
『They don't see it that way.』
Gasp.
They're such shy ones!
Total bad matchup.
Those kinds need careful observation and approach, but I guess I came on too strong.
My mistake, hehe.
『Check the Fate Compass. Which way is the inheritance?』
Oh, right.
Pastel checked the Fate Compass she was carrying. The needle pointed backward.
Eeeh.
She glanced back while running. Countless beastly eyes swarmed in the darkness.
Eeeh.
"Demon! Demon! I think we need to make peace with the squeaky friends! Sorry, friends! Let's make up!"
No effect.
They really are super shy!
『We'll have to loop around the sewers then.』
"Yeah!"
Pastel kept running. She passed tunnels, turned at intersections, passed more tunnels, inhaling all sorts of fishy stenches.
The rat horde chased relentlessly, never tiring.
"Friends! Isn't this a bit obsessive?! Even I can't handle this!"
Eek!
Are they gonna confess or something? I like the squeaky friends, but obsession and confessions are too much! Let's just stay friends!
A hissing sound came from somewhere. Yellow eyes gleamed in the darkness ahead.
Ooh?
The snake lunged through the darkness. It was several meters long but only as thick as a head.
The giant snake reared up, targeting Pastel. Its jaws gaped, revealing red innards. Drool dripped from its fangs.
Snake friend?
Pastel widened her eyes, then twisted her body aside. Her excellent reflexes and athleticism dodged the snake's attack.
The giant snake flew past her. It crashed into the oncoming rat horde. The starving beasts swarmed it in an instant. Flesh tore away, blood sprayed repeatedly. The struggling snake turned into chunks of meat in a flash and vanished.
Eek!
"Snake friieeend!"
The snake friend she just met was torn apart alive!
Pastel glanced back and got chills.
"The Demon was right! Those friends are a natural disaster!"
The rat horde overtook the front group devouring the snake and charged right after her without pause.
Eek.
Pastel sprinted on.
She'd entered snake territory again—hissing sounds returned.
Multiple yellow eyes appeared in the darkness ahead.
Ooh?
Snake friends?
Here to help me?
Giant snakes reared up. Jaws gaped simultaneously, targeting Pastel.
The girl tossed the compass and lantern in her hands toward the ceiling. Empty-handed now, she clenched her fists.
Her fists hammered forward repeatedly. Impact sounds echoed. Snake heads exploded. Debris scattered.
Both hands snatched the falling compass and lantern.
Right after, a giant snake lunged late.
She spun her body. Pink hair whipped around as a roundhouse kick struck the snake. Impact echoed. The snake flew into the wall. Shock rippled; flesh burst.
Pastel exhaled and ran on. The rat horde swarmed the leftover snake carcasses. Blood sprayed.
Sorry, snake friends!
I'll remember your sacrifice!
She ran down the tunnel for a while, then stopped. The rats were too busy eating to chase anymore.
Hand on the wall, she panted roughly.
Ughhh.
"I thought I was done for."
『You escaped well.』
"Whoa, weaklings banding together are seriously scary."
She walked again, wiping her dry face.
『It's right to run from natural disaster-level creatures. That was a small number, but in narrow tunnels, it's basically a disaster.』
Hundreds of giant rats are a small number?
"Don't they starve with that many? What do they even eat down here?"
Is there that much food in these sewers?
Do my friends live on moss?
『Think the opposite. What do you live on?』
Didn't feel right to say "Demon's cooking."
"Mana stones?"
『Same thing. They live on the demonic energy in the air. It provides surprisingly decent energy. The rest they supplement with regular prey.』
Whoa.
Pastel shot her hand up.
"Me too! I wanna nom nom the air and live!"
I'll learn from the squeaky friends!
『Give it a try.』
She inhaled deeply.
And.
"Phew~."
Pastel, having nom-nommed the air energy, went wide-eyed.
"Ooh!"
My tummy! My tummy!
It feels like it's filling up...!
Nope.
Just felt like breathing.
Pastel deflated rapidly.
I can't do it.
『If it doesn't come naturally, you can't do it. It's weirder if you could, so don't be disappointed.』
"Even the squeakies' breathing thing is impossible for me. Does that mean I can never be friends with them?"
『They have no intention of being friends with you either.』
Gasp.
Harsh.
『More importantly, check the direction. Are we going right?』
Pastel pouted and checked the Fate Compass. The needle pointed straight ahead in the direction she was walking.
"Friendless gloomy Demon. Compass friend says we're going the right way."
The demon ignored the subtle jab.
『No idea what's in the ruins. Last time it was magic quizzes, arrow traps, and a golem. Beginner-friendly for a first ruin.』
"Really? The golem wasn't beginner level."
If not for her mansion survival experience, it'd have been eek! Thud! Splat!
『The golem wasn't meant to be defeated. Probably had another purpose. Like teaching to steal the treasure and run from unbeatable foes. Dodging the slow golem to grab the chest would've been easy.』
"True, when you taught swordsmanship, the last part was the art of escape."
『Running well matters more than fighting well. Bards polish hero tales nicely, but real heroes' lives are different. They ran when needed and survived to become heroes.』
"Oh."
Pastel felt proud for no reason. She patted herself.
"Prime example of the weak fleeing the strong! Always ready to run from the mighty!"
For real.
Hormone friend approved too.
The demon was speechless for a moment.
『I didn't mean be that proud about it...』
Huh.
So picky.
At the end of the sewer path, she reached a wall where the compass vibrated. Pressing it against the wall made the needle whine and twitch.
Ughhh.
"This is it!"
Just a normal sewer wall.
Meaning, filthy.
Will touching it open a secret door?
Pastel reached out, then hesitated at the pitch-black grimy stain. It was so caked on it had texture.
Whoa, gross.
Touching with my hand is a no-go.
She drew her magic sword instead.
"Demon, got a question."
『It won't spring enemies even if it opens. It's prepared for the successor.』
"Nah, not that Demon-worry stuff. Smart me is thinking something else!"
『What?』
"What if touching the magic sword makes you feel, like..."
Pastel hesitated, then beamed.
"No idea! I'll just ask straight up!"
She continued brightly.
"Do you feel it when I touch the sword?!"
Ehehe?
The demon was speechless.
Silence flowed for a bit.
『I'm sealed in the sword, not the sword itself.』
Flustered voice.
"Aha! So no sensation!"
Pastel rubbed the sword with her hand.
"Not even this texture?!"
How many lives have I cut down? Too obvious a question?
『Yeah. But why ask?』
"I can treat you and the magic sword separately when I need to?"
『Close enough.』
Yay.
"Got it!"
Pastel relaxed and stepped back from the sewer wall a bit.
She raised the magic sword.
"Magic sword, not Demon!"
She pressed the blade tip to the wall, scraping like searching for a secret door. Grime scraped off, sticky remnants plopping down.
Eek.
Super gross.
Good thing I didn't touch with my hand.
Pastel grimaced and backed up more. Head turned, eyes squeezed shut, she just scraped the wall with the sword.
Ugh.
Scrape scrape scrape.
Plop plop.
Eek.
After a while, the demon sounded awkward.
『It's... a bit complicated feeling.』
Pastel flinched.
"You do feel one with the sword?!"
Am I committing intense lese-majeste right now?
『No, just...』
The demon hummed thoughtfully.
『Do whatever. Better than dirtying your hands.』
Yay.
"Then I won't hold back!"
Pastel scraped the wall harder with the magic sword. Of course, staying well away herself.
Sword scrape scrape scrape.
Grime plop plop.
Ew.
Pastel paused and peeked at the magic sword. Filthy gunk coated the blade tip.
Ughhh.
She looked at the sword with disgust.
Contempt.
Contempt beam~.
Demon contempt~.
Enjoying subtle lese-majeste, the demon spoke up.
『...I didn't mean don't hold back that much.』
Whoops.
So sensitive.
『Just stab the wall instead of scraping. Less dirty that way, even if more effort.』
Gasp, genius?
"Got it! I wasn't enjoying lese-majeste at all!"
『You...?』
Oh no.
Mouth slipped.
"Wh-whoa, super busy!"
Super duper busy Pastel!
Pastel hurriedly searched for the secret door.
Busy, so busy!
After poking the wall a bit, a spot sank in nicely. The sewer wall shook, slid, and a space opened.
Whoa.
"Great! Ruin exploration start~!"
She shook off the sword like shaking dirt and stepped forward cheerily. Then sniffed the sword subtly, made an eeeh face, and held it far away.
『You're doing this on purp—』
"Ruin exploration start~!"
Yahoo.
Pastel entered the first room. Like last time, magic books and a magic quiz. Solve the puzzle to open the door.
"Looks easy!"
She shouted while eyeing the rod-device quiz.
『Ho? Give it a try. Way harder than last time. The Demon King values intellect in successors. Study those books closely.』
Intellect?
"I'll solve it first try!"
Pastel put on her smart top-student face.
The face holding the intellect that snagged top research spot with reports alone, skipping combat logs.
Intense brain rotation followed.
Answer sparked in her head.
Puzzle solved.
"Hiyah!"
She smashed the quiz device with her sword. A boom rang out. The device glowed then exploded.
Boom—!
The sealed door opened.
Pastel cheered victory.
"Correct~!"
Yay.
『No.』
Pastel beamed proudly.
"They can't withhold inheritance from a successor just 'cause the device broke! Weak point: door opens anyway on malfunction!"
Perfect read on the setter's intent.
This must be the intellect the previous Demon King wanted.
『Don't learn weird stuff.』
"Yees~."
Pastel strode confidently into the second room.
And froze.
What should've been a trap corridor was wrecked. Like a massive creature thrashed: floor cracked, walls on both sides smashed. Traps lining the walls lay broken and abandoned.
Huh.
『Visitors first. Looks like snakes. Not long ago.』
Probably one as thick as her. Length unimaginable.
Whoa?
Pastel walked in disbelief. Out through the broken door.
A cavern opened up.
In the center, a white snake coiled. So huge it filled half the cavern.
Pastel rubbed her eyes.
Wha?
A dream?
Why's there a train-sized snake?
The white snake rested its head in the cavern corner, flicking its tongue. The forked tongue licked the sole treasure chest.
Ooh?
The snake's jaws parted.
The treasure chest was swallowed.
Nom nom.
Gulp.
Ooooh?
The white snake smacked its lips. Then opened its mouth slightly.
Burp.
A burp echoed.
Eek.
My inheritance...!